India’s first dugong conservation reserve

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In news– The Government of Tamil Nadu will set up India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in the Palk Bay Dugong.

About the Conservation Reserve-

• The Conservation Reserve will cover an area of 500kms.
• The proposed conservation area has the highest concentration of dugongs in the country.
• The reserve will span the northern part of the Palk Bay from Adirampattinam to Amapattinam.
• AS part of the CAMPA-Dugong Recovery Project, various surveys were conducted in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar, from November 2016 to March 2019.
• Gulf of Mannar is a shallow bay area between the south eastern end of Tamil Nadu and western Sri Lanka.

About Dugongs-

• • The dugong , also called the sea cow, is a herbivorous mammal. 
  • It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. 
  • It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae.
  • The dugong is the only sirenian in its range.
  • Dugongs are cousins of manatees and share a similar plump appearance, but have a dolphin fluke-like tail. 
  • And unlike manatees, which use freshwater areas, the dugong is strictly a marine mammal.
  • They can grow upto three meters long, weigh about 300 kilograms, and live for about 65 to 70 years, grazing on seagrass and coming to the surface to breathe.
  • They are found in over 30 countries and in India are seen in the Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, Palk Bay, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• According to Wildlife Institute of India (WII) estimates, only 200-250 Dugongs are left in the wild, of which 150 are found in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu.

Threats

• The loss of seagrass habitats, water pollution and degradation of the coastal ecosystem due to developmental activities have made life tough for these slow-moving animals. 
• Dugongs are also victims of accidental entanglement in fishing nets and collision with boats, trawlers.

Conservation status

• IUCN- Vulnerable

• Dugongs are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits the trade of the species and its parts.

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